Viet fish deaths: Protest against Taiwan firm

HANOI • Police in Vietnam detained scores of people yesterday as they broke up a protest in Hanoi against a Taiwanese company accused of being behind a toxic leak that has caused mass fish deaths off the central coast.

Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered in the heart of the capital, outraged at the poisoning of waters near Ha Tinh province that has left tonnes of fish and clams dead and decimated the local fishing industry. Taiwanese steel mill Formosa has been accused of overseeing a toxic leak.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Anti-Taleban activist shot dead in Pakistan

KARACHI • Gunmen have shot dead a prominent Pakistani rights activist known for his outspoken stance against the Taleban and other radical Islamist groups.

The police said Mr Khurram Zaki was killed at an outdoor cafe in the southern port city of Karachi last Saturday night, while a companion was wounded.

A faction of the Pakistani Taleban, the Hakeemullah group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call to Reuters, saying Mr Zaki had been targeted for his stance against radical cleric Abdul Aziz. Police could not verify the claim.

REUTERS

Two Romanian soldiers killed in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR • Gunmen wearing Afghan military uniforms have shot dead two Romanian soldiers in the country's south in the first insider attack on foreign troops since the Taleban launched their spring offensive last month.

The insurgents have so far not claimed responsibility for last Saturday's attack in Kandahar province, which highlights long-simmering tensions between Afghan and foreign forces.

A third Romanian soldier was left wounded in the incident and transferred to a hospital in Germany.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

China holds Maltese ship crew after collision

BEIJING • China has detained 20 crew members from a Maltese freighter which collided with a Chinese fishing boat, leaving 17 missing and two dead.

The crew, including the ship's captain, are under investigation by the border and maritime authorities after being detained at the eastern port city of Ningbo, state-run China National Radio said in a brief report yesterday.

The Chinese boat, named Lu Rong Yu, collided with a Maltese ship early last Saturday in the East China Sea, state broadcaster China Central Television reported earlier.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE